The invention relates to a luggage case, particularly for a powered two-wheel vehicle.
Luggage cases of this type, which are fastened to a rack of the two-wheel vehicle in an upright standing or in a hanging manner, have a body in which the actual luggage compartment is formed and to which a lid is hinged. The luggage compartment can be closed by the lid.
Normally, the lid of the luggage case falls hard into the closed position under its own weight. This risks damaging the closing mechanism.
It is known to aid the opening of the lid by use of gas pressure springs between the body and the lid of the luggage case, which gas pressure springs automatically raise the lid. Although the lid can no longer fall shut here with a swinging motion, for closing the lid, the user always has to apply a force to overcome the pressure force of the gas pressure springs. In addition, gas pressure springs are relatively expensive.
In order to improve the haptics when closing the luggage case lid and avoid damaging the closing mechanism of the luggage case, it would be desirable to prevent, in a simple manner, the lid of the luggage case from swinging down hard into the closed position, while still making a comfortable closing possible.
With respect to a luggage case, particularly for a powered two-wheel vehicle, which has a lid that is arranged by way of at least one hinge in a movable manner relative to a body of the luggage case, this object is achieved, in that a damping element is provided in the area of the hinge. The damping element comes to rest on a component moving with the lid during the closing of the lid and therefore damps the closing motion. By using a damping element which, starting from a defined closing path, acts upon the lid and brakes this lid particularly before contact with the components of the closing mechanism, a hard-falling shutting of the lid of the luggage case can be avoided. An arrangement of the damping element in the area of the hinge, thus in the proximity of the edge of the lid linked by way of the hinge to the body, provides that the damping element does not interfere with access to the luggage compartment of the luggage case.
The damping element could act upon any arbitrary component moving together with the lid, in order to damp the closing motion of the lid. However, preferably the component is part of the hinge itself because, in this fashion, no additional components will have to be installed.
By selecting the damping degree of the damping element, the damping can easily be individually adapted to different luggage cases without significantly changing the arrangement of the hinge, the component and the damping element.
A damping element is preferably used which travels along a linear displacement path, by which the kinetic energy of the closing lid is therefore reduced by a braked displacement of the damping element. Preferably, the damping element thereby deforms only insignificantly. Rather, the kinetic energy is converted by friction generated during the displacement. Such damping elements are known and can be obtained as a prefabricated constructional unit. They are quiet and have a high service life in the case of numerous closing cycles.
The damping element is advantageously pretensioned into a moved-out position, so that, during the opening of the lid, the damping element is automatically moved into its starting position for damping the lid during the closing.
The hinge is constructed, for example, as a bow-type hinge which carries out a swiveling motion for the closing. Such hinges are often used in the case of luggage cases in order to permit a larger maximal opening angle of the lid.
Particularly for using a bow-type hinge, it is advantageous for the hinge to slide along the damping element in a last section of the closing motion. In this case, the damping element is simultaneously pushed into its slid-in position by the hinge, in which case, the kinetic energy of the lid is reduced.
The braking torque of the damping element is preferably designed to be lower than a torque resulting from the weight of the lid, so that the lid can close without the effect of an external force. The braking torque should naturally be selected to be so high that a hard falling of the lid into the lock becomes impossible.
It is contemplated to provide only a single hinge and a single damping element, which accommodates particularly the design of narrow luggage cases.
It is not necessary to damp the entire closing motion. It was found to be sufficient for the component to come in contact with the damping element starting from a defined closing path of the lid, and the remaining closing motion thereby takes place at a reduced speed.
The contact between the component and the damping element may, for example, take place at a closing angle of approximately 5 to 45 degrees.
The luggage case may be a top case. However, the invention can also be adapted to other luggage cases for powered two-wheel vehicles.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.